Man United/Liverpool – Why you Should Still Care

By: Rob | March 20th, 2010

Its Man United against Liverpool tomorrow in the Premier League equivalent of El Clásico, and as with every time this fixture rolls around, I’m really excited. This time last year(above), the two were fighting for the Premier League title and Liverpool beat Man United 4-1 (though United went on to take the title).

This year, its not a battle of the top two teams in England, with Liverpool having an agonising season that may well see them drop out of the Top Four. But it is still one of, if not thee, biggest games of the Premier League season.

Make no mistake, Liverpool will be well fired up for this match, and if there is any game where form could go out the window, its this one. Liverpool and Man United are tied on Premier League titles, and Liverpool will be desperate to put a spanner in the works of United’s title run.

You can read a proper history of the rivalry, that I wrote this time last year here – basically, the two cities have had a rivalry since the industrial revolution, but its the football success that makes this such a bitter rivalry. United’s rise in the 60’s, Liverpool’s in the 70s and 80s, and the rise of United again in the 1990s have built this fixture higher and bigger.

Ron Atkinson once said travelling to Anfield was like going to Vietnam. His coach had just been tear-gassed. It has become a bizzarely brutal rivalry, and both sides will really want to win it.

And in recent times, Liverpool have had the edge. Fernando Torres in particular, seems to love these fixtures. Liverpool have won the last three against United, and Torres (whose birthday it is today) has been a scorer. Vidic has been sent off in his last three games against Liverpool.

Wayne Rooney is in magnificent form though (12 goals in 7 games at Old Trafford) and it may come down to a duel between himself and Torres.

Either way, its the biggest match of the weekend, regardless of the positions that the clubs are in. I can’t wait.